and he is going to persuade people small businesses will get immediate benefits. have people made up their minds? >> a lot of people have misgivings about the law. i was talking a few minutes ago to a top democratic pollster who said it will not be easy to make the law popular. they know it costs about $1 trillion and increases the role in government in health care. the battle they want to have is with republicans voting to repeal the law. but whether you can make people love the law in the short term before it has had a chance to work, that's tough. >> people are still worried about the bailouts, and this is what tim geithner had to say to matt lauer today. take a listen. >> people look to what had happened, and they saw people in

the financial community having made terrible of mistakes, and many lost jobs and homes, but to help them and protect them from the damage, we had to come in and do things that were going to help those banks, and help those companies. >> savannah, that still is overhanging all of the president's efforts as he tries to refocus on the economy and get people to understand what he and the administration feels they have really accomplished here? >> reporter: yeah, it's so striking when we just had the health care reform discusstion, and now moving to this issue, and they are still trying to explain and sell a couple huge policies. why the bailout of wall street was necessary? trying to explain, sure, it benefitted wall street but benefitted the rest of the country because wall street did not collapse and unleash all kinds of forces that would have been devastating to main street as well. and then it was interesting what

john harwood said, they will be able to change minds on some of the benefits that go into affect, for example, kids under 26 now being able to stay on their parents' insurance, but the main concern people have it seems from the poll something the huge costs of health insurance reform, and, look, that's something that they cannot get away from. they discuss almost a trillion-dollar price tag. they can persuade voters more than they have up to this moment, that there is a reduction, they can try and make that argument, but the key concern is the costs and nothing they can say will change the bottom line price tag of all of this. >> i would say, savannah, and andrea, on the pivot point, the administration has been on the defensive about the bailouts, why did you approve this and why didn't we get help, but now they can fight against republicans that can seem to be opposing

them, and they love that argument and they think it's a clear winner for them in public opinion unlike health care. >> yeah, a much better argument to be making to an angry public. you can join savannah and chuck todd for the "daily rundown" on msnbc. and now, ed rendell from harrisville. thank you so much. good to talk to you. the polls are not good. let's talk about you as a governor having to face re-election for all of these congress members who are feeling pretty threatened right now. >> sure, no question, andrea. i think the picture will brighten for democrats as the president and others continue to explain what is in the health care bill. people will start saying, oh, i didn't know that. for example, today he is going to talk about small business and the immediate impact of the health care bill. 150,000 small businesses in

pennsylvania with less than 25 employees will get 35% tax credit on the health care they provide to their employees. that's going to be a tremendous bottom line boom to small businesses. talk about something that helps the economy. getting that 35% tax credit will allow the small businesses to do additional hiring this year. so when the health care bill will have an impact on improving the economy, this is step number one to demonstrate to the public. and many pennsylvanians will be in the risk pool by the end of the year, but now they are covered. college students, we already have a bill that says if you are up to 29 years of age and you live at home, you are covered. but of course, the nation, that will be a big step. some will say this health care bill really helps me, and that

will change a lot of peoples' opinions. >> the latest polling in u.s.a. today gallup, people wanted it appealed and hoped their congress members would vote against it. right now you are in a battle, and you have been having a running argument. one of the attorney generals that filed suit against it, you think he is wrong on the law, but on the right side of the politics. >> yeah, and the question is, is it political or are they trying to help the people of pennsylvania? not only do i say he is wrong on the law, but ronald reagan's former solicitor general says it's preposterous. the federal government regulated health care for two decades now, and when it comes to mandates, they say the federal government cannot mandate individuals. well, april 15th, you have to

pay your federal income tax, and that's a federal mandate and that has been upheld by the courts time and time and time again. and so they are doing this because they think they have the political wind at their back, but wasting money on a suit that has no chance of success. if you were the attorney general of any state, why would you not your small businesses to get the tax credit this year, and why would you want seriously ill people not to get coverage in a high risk pool this year, and why would you want children to still be denied coverage because they have preexisting conditions. it's a political move on behalf of all of the attorney generals. i have great respect for tom core b corbitt. >> you brought back 53 orphans from haiti, and managed to

rescue the kids. and there is something that i found shocking. some of the people that have been rescued from haiti were brought to broward county, florida, and put in immigration jail, and you have families and kids unable to get out of jail because they don't meet the visa requirements. how are people who, by the way, have families willing to vouch for them. how can we pick up people and bring them out of haiti and rescue them from a disaster, and bring them to the united states and throw them in jail and throw away the key, and this is the united states of america? tell me how this can happen. >> you could not be more right. look, it's not an easy situation. of the 54 actually that we took out of haiti, 47 already had adoptive homes that had been preapproved. the other seven we had a court order from a haitian judge that we could take them, and they will be adopted and there are

people that want them, and they are in a wonderful setting, and not incarcerated in any way shape or form. after we took the kids out, there was a freeze. and the only children allowed to go were those that already had a court-approved adoption. and sometimes children in broward county, they don't have families yet that they have been approved for. there are people that wanted them and things in process, and there is no reason to put them in jail. we should put them in places like the children's family institute in pittsburgh. hhs approves places to hold orphan children while they are going through the adoption process, and that's why they ought to be. as you said, this is the united states of america. i argued with the government after they put the embargo on doing what we did. i said haitian families don't have money or anyplace to take

these kids. if we have american families and canadian families that want to do it, let's get them out of harm's way and put them in nice settings and let the adoption process go forward. look, there are people in pennsylvania -- i got over, i think, close to 1,000 requests, how do i adopt one of the haitian kids. these kids will be spoken for if we treat them well. as you said, it's america, and that story is shocking. >> when i get off the air, i will call those folks over at the relevant agencies, and -- >> homeland security. immigration is under homeland security, and we should weigh in, no question about it. i intend to weigh in. >> you have lost a ton of weight. you are the absolute model for what michelle obama is talking about. healthy food. i saw you in person, and you

look healthy. up next, we ask maryland congressman, elijah cummings about what voters are saying about the job crisis and unemployment, and new information about what the national republican committee has to say about the spending spree at the sex club. you can find me on twitter. hold on a second... come on up here where your brothers sit. [ birds chirping ] wow! did i ever tell you what it was like growing up with four sisters? that sounds fun. yeah...fun for them! [ male announcer ] chevy traverse. a consumers digest best buy. with a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty. it seats eight comfortably -- not that it always has to. frankly and boldly.

this great nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. so first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. [ dennis ] those words are just as true today as when fdr first spoke them. uncertainty will not rule our lives, when we put our lives in good hands. key lime pie, pineapple upside down cake, raspberry cheesecake... ...yeah, every night it's something different. oh yeah yeah...she always keeps them in the house. no no no, i've actually lost weight... i just have a high metabolism or something... ...lucky. [ wife ] babe... ♪ umm, i gotta go. [ female announcer ] 28 delicious flavors at around 100 calories each. yoplait, it is so good. indulge in new blueberry pie and new red velvet cake. yoplait light. it is so good.

as the president tries to persuade the american people the state will benefit from health reform, democrats are facing skeptical voters back home. joining me now, maryland democratic congressman, elijah

cummin cummings. we have unemployment numbers coming out tomorrow, and historically the rate in the minority communities have bench higher, and many of your constituencies are facing a higher unemployment rate than the rest of the country. what are you expecting tomorrow? perhaps there has been some improvement because of temporary hiring for the census takers, but what are you feeling back home now? >> well, sitting on the joint economic committee, i do expect the numbers are going to be better tomorrow. but what i am hearing is that people are elated -- when i say that, they are extremely happy. i represent a diverse bank. -- area. and they told me stories where they treat poor kids and they tell me a lot of these kids were being -- some of them were being

thrown off of their policies or whatever because of a preexisting condition that was found while they were treating them for some severe dental problem. a lot of people happy about that, and people want to go back to work. on the last report with regards to the jobs a month ago showed that while the african-americans hit an alarming rate, and i mean almost double what the nation's was, we saw for black women the number went down a percent point, in other words the unemployment was better. i am expecting to see the same. but what we have got to do is pass this bill by george miller just filed a few weeks ago which basically calls for retraining people, making sure that the monies are targeted to those communities that have high poverty rate and unemployment rates, and make sure that we retrain people, maybe police

officers, and firemen and others so they can go into other jobs. the problem is a lot of these jobs are simply not coming back, and a lot of these funds need to be more targeted to those areas that are most affected. this is what tim geithner had to say. he did an interview with matt lauer on the "today" show, and he was not expecting a big improvement anytime soon. watch. >> the unemployment rate is still terribly high and will stay unacceptably high for a long time. >> the unemployment rate, the beginning of the year was 8.7%, i think in your district. so people are still hurting. the improvement will be a slow improvement. will that be fast enough before the mid-term elections. and one projection was if the election were held today it would be a 1994 election, which

means losing both the house and senate. >> i don't think that's going to be true, ondrandrea. we have to get americans back to work, and i know the president is fully aware of this, and that's why i want to see the miller bill passed. and one thing you have to keep in mind, while the politics are important, the policies are more important. we are here for a limited amount of time, and during that time it's our watch and we have to do what we know is best for americans. and the president may want to say, you know, throw cold water on everything that this president does, but the fact is, i think he is trying -- as a matter of fact, i know he is trying to do the right thing, and we are too. we will get through this. i believe we are being sensitive to the american peoples' needs and concerns. we still have explaining to do on the health bill, because you

have to remember, andrea, this bill has misrepresentations and negative statements that not only came from the bill was passed, but now coming after the bill has been passed. the president has a job to do. we all have a job to do. believe me, we will do what is right for the american people no matter what. >> one of the things, when you talk about negative politics happening, this is one video from that day when you were all walking across that final day before final passage, and this is your colleague, congressman cleaver, and what happened to him? it seems very clear from that video that he was spit upon. >> yes, yes, he told me that he was. >> as you look at this video, he wipes his face, clearly, as you can see, he was subjected to the most outrageous behavior by those protesters.

>> yeah, we must -- we as a country, andrea, we must do better than that. when i saw my republican congressman stand on the balcony, and the signs kill the bill, and i watched this and saw it, and i was shocked. but i think we all have to come together. we have first amendment rights. we have to be able to protect the rights. we have soldiers fighting across the world to protect our rights. but it takes the leadership, and i think words that are -- when people say negative things a lot of times, those negative words can turn into negative actions and folks that do those kinds of things are encouraged to do them more, and we cannot have that, not in this country. this is america. >> indeed it is. elijah cummings, thank you very much, and i wish you a happy easter weekend. thank you. and politico's jonathan

martin with the latest on the sex shop spending spree. but how should the president celebrate the victory? "the daily show"'s john stewart has an idea. >> you don't have to relax in real time. pack it all into one of those '80s movie maun tajs. we're part of nature, and as we destroy nature, we destroy ourselves. it's a selfish thing to want to protect nature.

i never intended to be a businessman. we made the world's best climbing equipment out of here. we realized that putting in and taking out of all these pitons was causing damage to the rock. so, i made these little soft aluminum chalks that you just put in with your fingers. and i'm a dam buster. we've been working for years to take this dam out. the reservoir behind it is only 4 feet deep-- the water gets real warm, kills a lot of the life in the river. when you take out a dam, that's a real victory. i mean, a concrete victory so to speak! when i get an idea to do something, i like to take the first step. if that feels good, i take another step. to do good, you actually have to do something. no matter what you want to do, members project from american express can help you take the first step. vote, volunteer or donate at takepart.com.

at liberty mutual, we know how much you count on your car... and how much the people in your life count on you.

that's why we offer accident forgiveness... man: good job! where your price won't increase due to your first accident. we also offer new car replacement. or, if you total your new car within the first year, we give you the money to buy a new one. these are just two of the valuable features you can expect from liberty mutual. plus, switch today, and you could save on your auto insurance. at liberty mutual, we help you move on with your life. so get the insurance responsible drivers like you deserve. looks really good. call us at... or visit your local liberty mutual office, where an agent can help you find the policy that's right for you. liberty mutual auto insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? there is more heat on the republican national committee today with new reports that an

rnc mailer sent this month contained a number to a sex number. you cannot make this up. jonathan martin, politico's senior political reporter and expert on all such things, joins us -- just kidding. just kidding. here you have, when it rains it pours territory. now, the council saying don't send your money in, and he is offended. and karl rove is out in san francisco. let's see what he said to the san francisco chronicle about all this. >> the question is not michael steele, the question is the management of the building and are the procedures in place to spend money on elections and not to spend money on jets and trips to bondage clubs? >> the latest on the mailer that

had the wrong number, your report is that the rnc is saying that they got one number of the area code wrong? >> yeah, this mailer was a census form looking thing to get people to open it. it was a 1-80on 1-800 number inf a 202 area code. the real issue is the money. the late night fodder as far as the bondage club, but if republicans have like tony perkins out there saying don't give money to the committee, that could dry up some of their fund-raising and that imparlz

how many seats they could work. >> we have talk to the rnc and we are trying to get michael steel or a spokesperson to address this. tony perkins will be on the 3:00 show with david shuster, so we will see that. they are still raising a lot of money. you can argue about the spending level, they don't have as much cash on hand, though. >> four years ago, it's the best comparison, it's less. and the fact is the two congressional committees that fund house senate campaigns are going to have their handout, and

especially the house who is not well funded. the question is will the rnc have the money to help out house candidates this fall? >> thank you. we have the latest poll numbers next. and tim geithner said he expect high unemployment for a long time. what needs to be done to boost job growth. atest athletic fabris that keep you cool and dry have now inspired stayfree® to create a whole new level of comfort when it comes to your period. only stayfree® ultra thins have thermocontrol™. designed with the comfort of athletic fabrics in mind, stayfree® with thermocontrol™ quickly wicks moisture away for exceptional dryness. so you stay incredibly comfortable no matter where your day takes you. stay dry. stay cool. with thermocontrol™ only from stayfree®.

welcome to progressive. nice calculator. i'm just trying to save money on my car insurance. you know, with progressive, you get the option to name your price. is that even possible? uh, absolutely. trade? and i still get great service? more like super great. oh, you have a message. "hello." calculator humor. i'll be here all week. i will -- that was my schedule. the freedom to name your price. now, that's progressive.

♪ well, look who's here. it's ellen. hey, mayor white. how you doing? great. come on in. would you like to see our new police department? yeah, all right. this way. and here it is. completely networked. so, anything happening, suz? she's all good. oh, my gosh. is that my car? [ whirring ] [ female announcer ] the new community. see it. live it. share it. on the human network. cisco. just two hours from now the president will take his health care sales pitch to portland, maine. a new poll shows that after signing the bill into law 53% of americans disapprove how the president is handling health care. and now with us now our guests,

and what does he do now, pat? he is heading up north, and then tomorrow north carolina. still thr3/4 of the people quesn the health care. >> well, we won the battle. we won the fight, and the thing has been passed. we are not winning the argument. don't waste your time on this. if it turns out good in november, if people like it, we will win. if it doesn't, we have problems. there is nothing we can do about it. we passed it. there are other things we have, going after wall street on these reforms, which is good, and get on some other subject. the republicans are yelling repeal and reform for a reason. the numbers are with them in the polls. look at george w. bush. he did not keep talking after he lost his social security reform.

leave it alone, mr. president. we did not win the argument. >> i would like to disagree with pat, but unfortunately, he is right. i have to agree with him. >> greensburg, who you know, former clinton pollster, he says right now it feels like a 1994 election, which is not good for democrats. >> no, if we had the election today, it would be a changed election. i agree, it would be. >> you would lose the house and senate? >> yeah. if we could have sustained job creation starting tomorrow, if jobs could grow every month between now and then, people would look at it differently. just because the democrats are going down, doesn't mean the republicans are going out. they are both going down. there is plenty of playing field. >> what do you want the people thinking about? do you want them to think about the health insurance bill, the controversy or a mess, or a positive thing you want them

thinking about? i could not get president bush -- please, sir, don't talk about the economy, talk about bill clinton being out of touch kul chculturally and socially we american people. >> can you hate congress, but people always by large numbers love their own congressman. now, 65% think that their congressional representative does not deserve re-election. >> we have been seeing the re-elect number getting lower and lower and lower. so i am not surprised to see it manifest on a professionall stage. democrats are going to have to make strong opponents. >> that means not running with the president behind them? just running on local issues? >> in some places yes with him and in some places no.

>> and arguments for the republican strategy, nationalizing in terms of look what they have done and look at the situation we are in, you may like that guy but we need change in washington. 65% don't like their congressman, i think there is a possibility -- >> you had the strategy of having contact with america, and -- >> well, get -- look andrea, do not go positive of what we are going to do. go with what they don't like, because you get every republican and all kinds of moderates and even democrats agree with you. don't start putting out your own ideas and get them shot to pieces, and make that the issue. >> just go negative? >> just go opposition, just go no, exactly, and get rid of them. >> if there is a job creation between now and then, we will have something to run on. if there is not, we will have a

hard time. >> well, nobody really knows the numbers yet. i think they come out late afternoon to the privileged few. but those who -- if there is at least some bump, it may be temporary. >> if it's temporary, it will be a problem. it has to be a sustained job creation between now and november. >> 8.5%, or 9%, then the democrats have a case, and they will say it took a while to work and it's moving and the republicans want things to be bad, and have you an argument then, but if the numbers don't turn up there is not a lot you can do. >> democrats are going to want to talk about job creation, because we think we are about to start creating them, and if we can create them we will have a case to make in november. >> what parts of the country would you not bring the president in to campaign? >> i think have you to look district by district. it's not so regional. there are democratic districts all across the country and there

are hard-core republican districts. it's the swing district where you have to be careful. >> you need more than 100 or 200,000 jobs. i would say a million. you have 15 million unemployed and 10 million under employed. you have to have it rolling better than that to help in november. >> people will see the light at the end of the tunnel if we create one million jobs. we can blame the republicans for 8 millions for loss jobs. >> that's a deappreciating argument to blame the republicans. they are now blaming obama. >> 42% still blame bush. >> bush is not on the ballot in november, i don't think. >> we will still talk about him. >> when nixon asked me to

handicap teddy kennedy, he said who has the strength and who can win, and how do we go at it and what do we leave alone? it's analysis. >> there is something to be said for experience, here. thank you. coming up next, speaking of experience, we will talk about how the upcoming health care fight will help in the upcoming terms. mills wrote the wire, and he wrote screen plays for "homicide," and his newest project, the aftermath of hurricane katrina. they explore hard subjects. david mills died suddenly tuesday of a suspected aneurism.

he was only 48. -345-2550 tdd# 1-800-345-2550 if i could change one thing... tdd# 1-800-345-2550 we'd all get a ton of great advice tdd# 1-800-345-2550 just for being a client. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 i mean, shouldn't i be able to talk about my money tdd# 1-800-345-2550 without it costing me a fortune? tdd# 1-800-345-2550 if i had my way, investment firms would be tdd# 1-800-345-2550 falling all over themselves to help me with my investments. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 (announcer) at schwab investors rule. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 are you ready to rule? look in the glove box. [ children laughing ] suitcase? huh? ♪ where do gummy bears hide? under the seat. look! yeah! ♪ [ telephone rings ] [ male announcer ] the all new chevy equinox. [ man ] guess who? dad! [ man ] enjoy the trip! okay, daddy! [ laughter ] [ male announcer ] a consumers digest best buy. with a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty. it takes you farther... and brings you closer.

just before the health care vote the president said we are at the one yard line and we just have to get the ball in the end zone, rich. have you to stay with me. well, he did stay with him. rich joins us. what was the tension like there? he was just anticipating this, you know, make your break vote, and you did stay with him? >> yes, we did. it was a good bill. it was the right thing to do with the country, and the right thing to do for workers. we were anxious to do it. we made over 4 million phone calls and over 10,000 visits to the leadership and phone calls and letter writing campaigns going on. we were door knocking everywhere. it was a good campaign for something that was very, very important for america. we ended up with a pretty historic victory.

>> well, that is punishing blanche lincoln in arkansas. she is a democrat. the president needs every democrat he has going into the mid terms. that could make the difference in arkansas? >> we are opposing her, but not because of a health care bill. it's a number of issues. when she was not with us on the stimulus bill, and on jobs creation and collective bargaining. a number of different things on her record. in the past things were moderate and then veered to the right significantly, and this was one time we could not go along and we would do what we could to help holter get elected in arkansas. >> anybody try to talk you out of going after a democrat? >> no. i know who they support, and they know who we support.

that's the way it is. >> there is another race where you have got -- in pennsylvania, you have got an incumbent congressman who you are withholding support from, and what goes into your calculation there? >> we do a number of things. those endorsements are made at the local level. our local people in pennsylvania will make the local endorsements in pennsylvania. and we will take all the votes that affect working people. the health care vote will have a higher priority. that will be injected into it. there is no litmus test. we don't say if you don't do this, we don't support you. we look at the record and decide if we should support or not support or oppose. >> and then also i want to ask about federal regulation and the issue of pay. a lot of companies are getting around the pay rules, and around

what ken fineburg is trying to do by doing their compensation in different ways, so they are still getting the bonuses in. you wrote yesterday, americans need jobs and big banks need to pay, and now we need to see some returns. >> absolutely. what do you want to see? >> first of all. they did destroy over 11 million jobs in the process. that's what we are in the hole right now. so they need to pay. the number of ways for them to pay, there are a bunch of things. they are back to business as usual. while we are 11 million jobs in the hole, they are back to business as usual. $145 billion bonuses last year, that are not geared towards performance or job creation. what we are saying, you destroyed the jobs and now pay to create the jobs. part of it is a higher tax on

carrying interest, and hedge fund people that get by with a lowest interest rate than what my 85-year-old mother paid in taxes last year. and then a grassroots program called good jobs now make wall street pay. and on the 29th of april, we will bring 10,000 or 12,000 of our friends to wall street to demonstrate and raise our voices about what they are doing. >> have you a democrat in the white house? is he doing enough? is the white house aggressive enough in call backs for some of the bonuses and new rules against some of what you consider the excesses? >> yeah, i think everybody could do more. the white house could do more on that issue. i think congress could do more on that issue. and if they give us the tools, i think share holders and the board of directors can and should and must do more to reign in the excessive ceo pays.

>> this is what tim geithner had to say on the "today" show with matt lauer. >> you would have seen hundreds of more companies having to shut their doors. it's not fair, a. the president had to act to fix it or stands back, and that would have be would have been disas strus. >> deregulation took place over the last 12 to 15 years, and i am not saying just during the bush administration, and before that the clinton administration allowed wall street to taken precedented risks. nobody could monitor it because of the sophistication, and we were almost in disaster.

if the president had not acted to bail out the banks the economy would have been in a severe depression and we would have lost far more jobs than we did. it would have been far worse had he not acted as quickly as he did. >> and we brought rich and tim geithner together. we should do middle east peace next. >> i am up for it. >> what do you want to see in the jobs numbers tomorrow? >> we will be looking -- we are pushing a large jobs bill that will create another million jobs. that's not even at the scale that we need to be. we are talking about 11 million jobs in the hole in this country. we are talking about six applicants for every job that is created right now. we are talking about an unemployment rate of the 40s and 50% for young workers coming out of school, out of high school and college, so we are looking

for a real aggressive jobs bill and that's what we are going to be doing over the next year. jobs, jobs, jobs, pushing for more several forms. one is an extension of the unemployment benefits because you have 6.5 million people out there about to lose them. if they lose their unemployment benefits they stop consuming. >> it's always great to see you. thanks very much. >> thanks for having me on. >> coming up what political story will be making headlines in the next 24 hours. that's next. you may notice many of us are wearing our blue autism speaks pin today. cofounders bob and suzanne wright rang the opening bell today to mark autism awareness day. the stock exchange, the empire state building, madison square garden, other new york land marks are joining the fight by turning their lights blue to build public awareness of a disorder that now affects one in every 110 children. in particular, one in every 70 boys. so join us. mini has more than double the fiber and whole grain...

making him a great contender in this bout... against mid-morning hunger. honey nut cheerios is coming in a little short. you've got more whole grain in your little finger! let's get ready for breakfaaaaaaaaaast! ( ding, cheering, ringing ) keeping you full and focused with more than double the fiber and whole grain... in every tasty bite -- frrrrrrosted mini-wheeeeats! didn't know i had it in me.

what political story will be making headlines in the next 24 hours? jonathan capehart "the washington post" editorial writer and msnbc contributor joins us now. we've got the president on the road. >> right. >> what do you think is going to be on your radar tomorrow? >> of course we'll be talking about the president sort of as i call it his change hearts and minds story going to maine today and north carolina tomorrow to try to get people onboard with the health care. people surveyed want the law rewritten. 50% of those want the entire thing repealed. that's on top of the rasmussen poll that showed the majority of the folks want the law repealed. if there is anybody who can do it, it's president obama, to change those hearts and minds, because, well, his job approval rating is still around 50%. there's a big number that's going to come out tomorrow that could change, up end all of this -- the unemployment numbers come out tomorrow.

if they stay unchanged we could still be talking about health care. if they tick up we'll be talking about the economy. >> which is exactly what they want to be talking about. speaking of things we're talking about sarah palin has just tweeted promoting her new show and she says america is exceptional. i'll show you a few ordinary americans do extraordinary things on "real american stories" tonight on fox. again, she is pitching toby keith is going to be on and keith is saying this is the second day in a row that this is an old interview being recycled that he never sat down with sarah palin. yesterday l. cool j. and today toby keith. what's up? >> that's a question for the folks at fox and for sarah palin. this is supposed to be a new show talking about new voices. last i heard toby keith and ll cool j weren't ordinary americans. i was looking forward to hearing stories about real people out there trying to make ends meet and trying to get by. i don't think they're trying to get by. >> not just trying to scrape by in this economy.

>> right. >> thank you, jonathan. >> thanks a lot. >> we're getting by and that does it for us for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." tomorrow the los angeles mayor antonio villaraigosa. follow the show online and on twitter. my colleague tamron hall is next with developments out of the northeast where residents are still fighting record-breaking floods. ever wish you knew a retirement expert? let's meet some. retirement's a journey and, we know the territory. we're chartered retirement planning counselors at td ameritrade.

we're trained. we're seasoned. experienced. we'll help you with rollovers. consolidating old accounts. opening new ones. guiding you through paperwork. we're like retirement co-pilots. call us soon. when you're ready, we're here. time for fresh thinking. time for td ameritrade. time for fresh thinking. these are actual farmers who raise vegetables in campbell's condensed soup. so if you've ever wondered who grew my soup, well, here they are. ♪ so many, many reasons ♪ it's so m'm! m'm! good! ♪

i'm tamron hall. right now on msnbc news live, in the next hour president obama takes his health care show back on the road. this time in portland, maine. but new polls just released show that he's got a tough sell ahead of him. bridges and highways are washed out from maine to connecticut. in rhode island there are fears of a bridge collapse this hour threatening hundreds of homes downstream. we'll show you the state's worst flooding in 200 years. plus, here's a question to ponder. what did jesus christ really look like?

well, new 3-d technology recreates the face of jesus by bringing the shroud of tourin to life. one of the 3-d experts will join us live to tell us what secrets history may reveal. fascinating interview. a great grandma faces possible jail time. she's got to wear an ankle bracelet and has a curfew for selling, of all things, a goldfish from her pet shop. police say she broke the law but are they crossing the line on this one? we'll talk with her live from england. in about a half hour president obama will arrive at portsmouth, new hampshire and will travel to portland, maine where he will hold an event at 3:30 trying to help americans understand what he says health care law brings to the table. the president will try to emphasize how it helps small businesses with their bottom lines. nbc's ron allen joins me by phone from portland, maine. tell us more about the president's visit there, ron. >> reporter: the explanation is about tax credits with small business, tamron, but that's probably a minor issue.

he is trying to explain and help the american public understand what he says are the positive benefits of this health care law. there are polls that still consistently show more negativity than positive feelings about the health care law depending on how you ask the question. some people respond positively when they hear some aspects of the law but overall it's not what you would expect after the white house has signed something that they claim is historic and the president is trying to break it down. he's also concerned about november. he's concerned about his ability to pursue more legislation, climate change, energy legislation seem to be next up on the agenda and of course jobs and the economy are also there in the background. maine? why would he come here? there is a governor's race here, also congressional races, but it's also close to massachusetts. and after he leaves here the president is going to go to massachusetts for two big democratic fundraisers. one of the biggest races of the

sueson is there, duval patrick, the governor and close friend of the president is running for re-election and is seen as vulnerable in massachusetts especially after the election of